Opening customers' eyes to water

Have you ever wanted to know where your drinking water really comes from?

Berkshire residents are being invited to an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into how river and ground water is transformed into clean drinking water and pumped to homes and businesses.

Local drinking water supplier, South East Water, is opening the doors of its Bray Keleher Water Treatment Works in Bray on Friday, 8 May and Saturday, 9 May and providing customers with the opportunity to discover the source of their tap water. The site treats on average 45 million litres of water a day, serving 300,000 properties via two service reservoirs in Surrey Hills and Crowthorne.

Visitors are offered a guided tour of the treatment process, and also the inside track on how South East Water finds and fixes leaks across its 9,000 miles of pipes. Those visiting can also find out how its dedicated laboratory in Farnborough carries out more than a million tests each year to maintain the water at the highest quality and the important work of its environment team to protect and enhance the flora and fauna across its supply area.

Sara Best, Regional Production Manager for South East Water said: “We are really pleased to open the doors once again to one of our largest water treatment works in the area.

“People are often surprised at the extensive amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to transform ground and river water into top-quality drinking water that is pumped directly into homes and businesses in the area. It’s important to remember quality tap water doesn’t just fall from the sky and a lot of hard work goes into producing wholesome drinking water.

“Everyone at South East Water is immensely proud of our final product which is amongst the highest quality tap water in the world.”

The open days on Friday, 8 May and Saturday, 9 May are free to attend with free parking also available on site. Tours will last for two and a half hours. Individuals can book their place by visiting southeastwater.co.uk/opendays.

Please note that as this is a working water treatment facility, access is unfortunately not suitable for people with impaired mobility, as the tour will involve stairs, or children under the age of 14. For security reasons, photographic ID will be required.

Further open days are planned for later in 2026. For more information or to register your interest for future open days please visit: southeastwater.co.uk/opendays.